Way of the Saiyajin
by Wilhelm Fink
Summary: After traveling to Mt. Paozu to find the fourstar dragon ball, Goku Jr. has tasted the thrill of adventure. He and his friend Pack set off on a journey across the Earth to learn what it is to be heroes. Can Goku Jr. live up to his grandfather's legend?
1. MiniGoku is Off! Goku's Quest for Power

Way of the Saiya-jin

Chapter 1: Mini-Goku is Off! Goku's Quest for Power

**A/N: **My god I've taken a lot of time off. I started this almost three and a half years ago and just let it sit. Well I got the idea to re-write it and see where this story goes. The whole world of Goku Jr. and Pack seems like it has so much promise in it the way I look at it. Don't have to stay within the DBZ continuum which is fun for once. Well…here goes…

-

A boy with a familiar mess of black hair walked into his white home in the heart of the busy Satan City. He immediately tore off his red headband and threw it onto a blue recliner. He continued up a flight of stairs and through a dimly lit hallway. He turned left at the first doorway and quickly threw himself onto his bed; burying his face in his pillow.

"Goku? Are you home?" an elderly voice came from the bottom of the stairs.

The boy lifted his head from the pillow to respond. "Yes Grandma!"

Through the doorway came an elderly Pan to greet her grandson. She sat down on the bed and placed a hand on Goku's back. "Did you have fun training today?"

The little demi-Saiya-jin flipped over onto his back and smiled at his grandmother. "Of course grandma,"

"That's wonderful!" Pan said with a smile. "You know, when I was your age, I used to train all day with my grandfather,"

"I know I know grandma. You've told me a hundred times," Goku said rolling his eyes with a smile.

Pan stood up and began to walk out of her grandson's room. "Well, you must be tired. I'll let you get to bed,"

"Actually grandma," Goku said, scratching the back of his head. "I'm a bit hungry,"

Pan gave a short laugh. "I should have seen this coming. C'mon Goku. I've got some leftovers in the refrigerator,"

After a short meal, Goku Jr. returned to his bedroom and changed his clothes for bed. He slipped on a white t-shirt with a little turtle symbol on the left side of his chest and a pair of light blue pajama pants. Once he was ready for bed, he knelt down on the ground and pulled a photo album out from under his bed. He took the book and sat cross-legged on his mattress and slowly paged through the book. The photo album was filled with pictures of his grandmother in her youth with Trunks, Giru and his great-great grandfather. As time passed, he made his way to more recent photos of he and his grandmother at the latest Tenkaichi Budokai.

He saw the pictures of his fight with a boy he knew as Vegeta. The only thing he knew about him was that he that he is a descendant of one of his great-great grandfather's rivals. Unfortunately, the only time they fought, he lost in the finals of the junior division of the famous tournament. For some reason, unknown to him, this sat unwell with him. Goku placed the book under his bed and turned his light out. He pulled the sheets up to his chin and sighed. He turned to his side and stared at the four-star dragon ball that he found on his trip to Mt. Paozu nearly a year before. He thought back to his grandpa Goku's words.

_I've been watching you Goku…and I have to admit you're getting pretty strong…_

At the thought, Goku Jr. began to tear up a bit. "I train as much as I can but I don't feel any stronger," he said to himself. "I must really be disappointing grandpa Goku and grandma," He wiped the tears from his eyes with the side of his wrist and sniffled. "I will be strong…I have to be…"

--

A paper ball hit Goku in the head and he rose from a light sleep. He looked around to see his friend Pack laughing at him. "What are you sleeping for?" Pack asked. "It's the last day of school!"

"Oh," Goku sighed. "Rough night,"

"So what do you have planned this summer Goku?" Pack asked.

Goku tiled his chair back and placed his feet on his desk. "I'm going on a trip to train at a temple,"

"A temple?!" Pack exclaimed. "Why are you going there?"

Goku returned his chair to the ground and pulled a picture out of his pocket. "Look," he began. "This is my grandpa Goku's best friend Kuririn when he was our age. He trained at this place before he went away to train with my grandpa and their sensei Master Roshi. Maybe I can find this place and learn to be stronger,"

Pack snatched the picture from his hand and stared it down. "This place looks far away in the mountain country. How are you planning on getting there?"

Goku shrugged his shoulders. "Walk, what else?"

"Do you know how far this is away? Do you even know where it's at?" Pack asked.

"No idea. But my grandma told me that they keep the six-star dragon ball there in memory of Kuririn. All I need to do is find one of my grandma's old dragon radars and find it with that,"

"Dragon…radar?" Pack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah it's a little circular thing that helps you locate the dragon balls," Goku explained.

"You mean there's more!" Pack exclaimed.

"Yeah. My grandpa told me there are seven in total and my grandma told me the legend of the six-star one after we got back home from Mt. Paozu," Goku told him.

Pack shook his head. "Well, have fun then Goku,"

Goku looked over at the clock and began to count down the minutes until he could start his journey. He was putting up a tough front on the outside, but on the inside he was scared of what lie ahead of him. Unknown dangers were lurking around every turn and anything could happen. But, as his grandpa said, he's brave; he has to be…he is his grandson.

-

Goku Jr. opened the front door to his house and dropped his backpack on the floor. "Grandma! I'm home!" he shouted. He walked into the kitchen and saw Pan sitting at the table, drinking tea.

"Hello Goku how was school?" she asked.

"Good grandma. I'm glad it's summer," he replied. "There's something I need to ask you though grandma," Pan nodded for him to continue. Goku looked down at his hands that he had clasped together on the table. He looked back up at his grandmother and sighed; looking for the words to say. "I want to travel to the temple where grandpa Goku's friend Kuririn trained at to get strong like you and grandpa Goku," he said quickly.

Pan was silent for a second and Goku feared the worst. Although she had never had a problem with him training before, he was asking to leave home for a far away place. Pan smiled at him. "I've been waiting for this day Goku,"

Goku smiled and jumped up from his seat to hug his grandma. "Thank you grandma thank you!"

Pan let go of her grandson and looked down at him. "You remind me of grandpa Goku so much. Your parents would be so proud of you," The room had an awkward silence before Goku spoke up. "I should pack up for my trip then,"

Goku ran excitedly up the stairs to his room and pulled a backpack from his closet. In a flash of colors, clothes were thrown into the bag. He then grabbed a toothbrush and toothpaste as well as a bar of soap from the bathroom. Finally, he placed the four-star dragon ball carefully into a pouch on the side of the bag. He patted it and smiled. "Ok grandpa. I'm going to be brave,"

"Who are you talking to?" Pack's voice came from the doorway.

Goku turned around and saw Pack looking quizzically into his bedroom. "Pack! What's with the backpack?"

"You didn't think I'd let you go alone did you Goku? You'd get killed out there. Besides, why would I want to spend my summer sitting at home," Goku laughed. "That's awesome Pack! I'm glad you're coming along,"

The boys made their way down to the kitchen and Pan was sitting at the table. "Now Goku, to be successful on this mission you must need to fend for yourself," Goku nodded and Pan continued. "Now as my last training for you is this. I will pack you and Pack enough food for three days. After that you must learn to catch, prepare and cook your own meals,"

Goku fell down backward quickly. "Grandma! How can you do that! You know how I get hungry!" he shouted.

"Well Goku, if you don't want to go…" she trailed off.

Goku looked down at the ground and clenched his fist. "Ok ok. I'll do it. But do you think we can have one big meal before we leave?"

-

The orange sun was setting between the tall skyscrapers of Satan City. The cloudless sky let the sun's rays shine unrestricted around the building and onto the faces of our adventurers. Goku smiled and patted his belly. "Thanks grandma, that was great,"

"Yeah, thanks," Pack tacked on.

"Now Goku, before you go I have one more thing to give to you," Pan said.

Goku tiled his head. "What's that grandma?" Pan looked up and shouted. "Kinto'un!"

A small yellow cloud shot across the sky and came to a screeching halt in front of Pan and the boys. "Goku, this cloud has a great history and has belonged to many great warriors. You my grandpa Goku got it from his sensei Master Roshi and then he passed it down onto Gohan, then to me, then to your father. Since your father isn't here to give it to you like I know he would, it's my honor to give you the Kinto'un for your journey,"

Pack stared in a confused amazement at the Kinto'un. His eye twitched. "A f-floating c-c-cloud…"

Goku's eye welled up with tears. He fell into his grandmother's arms. "Thank you grandma thank you," his voice muffled by her shirt. She placed her hands on his shoulders and moved him away from her a bit. He wiped his eyes and smiled at her. "Now go on Goku. Make me proud,"

"I will grandma. I promise I'll become a great fighter just like grandpa Goku,"

"I know you will,"

Goku grabbed his backpack and jumped onto Kinto'un. "C'mon Pack, let's go!" Pack, still in shock from the appearance of Kinto'un looked over at him. "Hmm, what? Oh, alright,"

Pack jumped onto Kinto'un but fell face first on the ground. Goku gave a little laugh. "Look like someone isn't so nice after all," Pan laughed. Pack grumbled and stood up. "How am I supposed to go now?" Pan and Goku looked at each other. "Hold on tight!" they said in unison. Pack gave a frightened look. "Are you kidding!? I'll fall off!"

"Don't worry Pack, if you fall I'll catch you," Goku said calmly. "Trust me,"

Pack thought for a second. "Are you sure. This thing doesn't go too fast does it?"

Goku shook his head. "No not at all,"

"Oh Goku! Before I forget, here's that old dragon radar," Pan said. She placed it into his backpack and closed it back up. "You're all ready now,"

Goku smiled and Pack grabbed him around the waist, visibly shaking. "Ok, let's go Kinto'un!" Goku shouted. The yellow cloud shot off into the air and up over the Satan City skyscrapers. "G'bye grandma!"

Pan waved goodbye to her grandson. As the cloud flew away she could hear Pack faintly yelling "Too fast!"


	2. Dragon Ball Found!

Way of the Saiya-jin

Chapter 2: Dragon Ball Found?!? Goku and Pack's New Objective

The orange sun began to slowly dip behind the great forest trees that Goku and Pack found themselves surrounded by. The two boys tiredly trudged along on the muddy ground of the forest, leaving footprint shaped depressions behind them. Pack had convinced Goku to take a ground route for a while after nearly falling from his waist dozens of time while flying with Kinto'un. Goku had his hands clasped behind his head, like any typical male in the Son family, and stared up at the purple sky through the trees. His face was nearly motionless except for his eyes darting from the path in front of him to the sky. Pack was trailing closely behind, slightly bent over from the weight of the red backpack that he was carrying. The two boys had been traveling for three days and were showing visible signs of anguish.

"Goku," Pack exhaled heavily. Pack set his backpack down, sat next to it and leaned up against it. "We need to take a break for the night,"

Goku stopped walking and turned toward his friend. "C'mon Pack," he said quietly. He raised his arm and pointed in the opposite direction he was facing. "There's a clearing up ahead of these trees. We can set up camp there,"

Pack let out a huge sigh and lifted his backpack up and onto his back. "You better be right about this Goku,"

"Don't worry about Pack," Goku said with a smile. "I'm positive. Tomorrow will be much better. The radar says we are close to a Dragon Ball. Hopefully it's the temple and we can begin our training,"

Goku waited for his friend to catch up to him and they walked together further into the woods. Sure enough, the trees thinned out and the clearing came into view. A relieved Pack smiled happily and fell to his knees "Finally!" he shouted. Goku laughed at his friend. "Lets set up this tent and get some food, I'm starving!"

The boys pulled a brown rolled up cloth from Pack's backpack and lay it out on the soft, green grass. Goku then grabbed some thin wooden poles from the bag and began placing them in a tent shape while Pack retrieved another brown tarp from his bag. Goku and Pack set the tent up quickly and immediately went to work on dinner. Goku went into the woods and found sticks and old dried up leaves from kindling while Pack prepared some meals that Pan had packed for them. Goku dropped the sticks and leaves next to the tent and began to look for rocks to contain their fire. As he reentered the forest on the opposite side of the clearing from which they entered, he found what he had been looking for. In front of him sat a shimmering blue river with multi-colored rocks lining the banks.

"Ha! Alight!" Goku said to himself. As he ran up to the stream, a dark, house-like object came into focus. His dark Saiya-jin eyes widened with amazement. "Pack! Pack, come here!" he shouted.

Pack followed the echoes of Goku's voice. "What is it Goku?" His friend came running up to him waving the Dragon Radar wildly in the evening air with a look of pure joy on his face. "Pack, I think that's it!" he yelled, pointing in the direction of the house. "I think we found the temple!

"What?! No way," Pack said in disbelief.

Goku stopped in front of Pack and pointed his finger to a yellow circular object on a green grid. The yellow light flashed with an accompanying little 'blip' to indicate a dragon ball was nearby. Goku's smile was a mile wide, but Pack had a skeptical look across his face.

"I don't know Goku," he said, placing a hand up to his chin. "Didn't you say there were seven of these things?"

Goku's smiled faded and his arm fell from the air as if air was let out of a balloon. He scratched the back of his head. "Well yeah but the six-star ball is inside the temple. The rest of them would be scattered throughout the world. How could one make it inside of a building otherwise?"

"I don't know Goku, but I don't really want to think about it right now," Pack said irritably. "Just grab some rocks for the fire pit and we'll sleep on it,"

Pack turned and walked back toward their campsite. Goku sadly turned the Dragon Radar off and placed it back into his pocket. He slowly walked back toward the river and began to pick up the larger stones for his fire pit. With rocks cradled in his arms, he stood and looked across the river at the house through the dimming light. He sighed and turned back toward camp.

-

The bright sun shined brightly overhead, sending beams of light through the tree leaves. The light marked the ground like polka dots as the boys packed up their small camp site. They rolled up the tent cloth, returned it to their backpacks and set off once again on their journey to find the six-star dragon ball. Goku pulled the white Dragon Radar from his pocket and clicked the button located on the top of the small device. The radar immediately began to make short little 'blips' and showed a little yellow dot on the screen. As Goku and Pack exited the forest, they were forced to shield their eyes until they were used to the light reflecting off of the clear blue waters of the small river in front of them.

Pack glanced over to Goku. "What do you think we should do?"

Seemingly without thinking, Goku slung his backpack off his shoulder and placed in onto of his head. He held it in place with his right hand and tried to keep his hair out of his eyes with his left. He carefully made his way down the banks of the river and placed a foot in the cool water. He turned around to Pack. 'C'mon Pack, let's cross,"

"You're joking right? We have no idea how deep it is! We could get swept away by the current!"

Goku turned his entire body around since he couldn't turn just his head with the backpack on it. "Trust me Pack. Look, you can see the rock and everything. The water is so clear,"

Pack frowned and tentatively entered the water. Once in, he let out a breath and caught up to Goku; who was nearly on the other bank. As Goku climbed up onto the bank, one of his shoes got stuck in mud and fell face first onto the soggy grass. His backpack rolled down the bank and into the river. "Pack! Quick, grab it!" Goku shouted.

Pack lunged for the bag, but all he got was a face full of water and even soggier clothes. Goku ran down the river bank, keeping up with the backpack that contained the remainder of the food that Pan had packed for them, as well as half of their tent. Goku kept his attention on the bag, watching its every move; waiting for a chance to dive for it. With his attention elsewhere, he didn't see the large oak tree that sat on the river bank in front of him.

"Goku look out!" Pack screamed.

Goku turned and yelled in horror as he closed in on the brown oak tree. At the last possible second, he dove into the river, hoping to grab the backpack. He swiped at it with his left hand but it flowed just out of reach and further down the river. Goku met the water with a giant splash and when he came to the surface, he saw the bag floating down toward the river rapids. Dejected, he slowly walked across the river and jumped up onto the grass. Pack appeared next to him and handed him his lost shoe. Goku rolled onto his back and stared up into the blue sky.

_How can I become a great hero if I can't even save a backpack?_

All of a sudden, a gunshot cut through the forest solitude. The boys' heads shot up and they turned in the direction of the house that supposedly contained a dragon ball. The shot was followed by screaming and doors slamming.

"Goku! We gotta get out of here!" Pack said.

"Ah! Let's go!" Goku shouted as he scrambled for cover.

Pack ran into the forest and dove behind an old, fallen oak tree. Goku turned to grab their backpack and saw a young, blonde-haired girl running out of the house that Goku and Pack were heading for. She was quickly followed by three gunman wearing black shirts, red suspenders, khaki pants and red bandanas around their necks. The girl dove behind a large rock and skidded to halt as bullets flew around her.

"Get back here kid! Give us that ball!" one of the gunmen shouted.

Goku quickly ran over to Pack and sat down next to him in the leaves. Goku's back was up against the tree and Pack was carefully peering over the tree to see what was going on. The three men had stopped firing and slowly crept toward the boulder.

"That girl is done for," Pack said quietly.

_That girl is in trouble. I need to do something…_

Goku stood up with an angry look on his face and began walking toward the three men and the girl. Pack stood up behind the rock "Goku! What are you doing?! You're going to get us killed!"

"We have to do something Pack. We can't just leave her there,"

Goku's face had the look of determination only seen before in his fight with the monster king Yômaô. The wind gently blew his wild black hair back as he made his way over to the gunmen in black and red clothing. Goku saw the blonde girl turn away from the men, crouch down and cover her head with her hands. She was wearing a white dress outlined with intricate patterns in blue lace. She slowly turned her visibly shaking body and saw Goku walking toward the gunmen. One of the gunmen appeared behind her and shoved a gun into her back.

"I suggest you had over that ball princess. If you know what's good for you," he said in a deep voice.

"Hey!" Goku shouted.

Everyone turned their attention to the demi-Saiya-jin. The gunman with his gun to the girl's back retracted the pistol and pointed it at Goku. An evil sneer crept across his face. "Well looky here boys. Looks like someone is trying to play hero," Goku stood there stone faced as the gunmen laughed at his rescue attempt. He kept his black eyes focused on the man with the gun.

"You don't seem so heroic now," he laughed. "How 'bout this boys! He's so scared he can't even talk!" The three men laughed. "Good night hero,"

Gunshots rang out throughout the forest. Goku danced around with a frightened look on his face as he dodged bullets left and right. "What did I get myself into?" he said to himself.

"Goku!" Pack yelled from his hiding spot.

Dust was kicked up everywhere, making in hard to see and smoke poured out of the men's guns. The lead gunmen by the girl smiled. He grabbed her by her arm and spun her around. He placed the tip of his handgun under the girl's chin and lifted his up so he could see into her tear-filled eyes. "Looks like you'd better hand over that ball now,"

The girl shakily reached to the back of her neck and began to unclasp her necklace. She and the man were interrupted by the sound of shouting. Goku was busy tearing apart the other two gunmen with a barrage of kicks and punches. "God dammit!" the man shouted. He turned again to his prisoner and smiled. "Don't go away,"

Once he walked around the rock, the girl shot off into the forest for cover. She found a group of tall plants green plants with small white flowers growing wildly all around. She hid behind them, but kept her eyes on her captor and Goku; who had just kicked one of the gunmen into a tree. She saw Goku turn to the gunman. He was instantly knocked down by a pistol whip to the face. The gunman then began to kick a downed Goku in the ribs. The girl placed her hand up to her mouth in shock as the boy was being beaten in front of her.

Out of no where, Goku grabbed the man's leg and pulled it out from under him. He crawled on top of him and pinned him to the ground. Goku then disarmed him and the girl could see him talking to the man. Once he was finished, the man slammed his fist into Goku's face, knocking him off of his chest. She then could here Goku yell "I warned you!" and saw Goku punch the man in the stomach, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

Goku lightly brushed dirt off of his clothes and turned around to see Pack running over to him. "Goku!" he shouted. "That was amazing!"

From behind the two rejoicing friends, the girl emerged from her hiding place and crept slowly toward them. Even though these two strangers had ultimately saved her life, she was a bit cautious none the less. Goku could see the girl coming toward them out of the corner of his eye and he turned to greet her. "Hi! I'm Goku, what's your name?"

The girl was taken aback for a moment at the boy's kind demeanor. "A-Aoi," she replied. "Princess of the Flower Country,"

"Princess?!?" Goku and Pack exclaimed.

"A real princess wow," Goku said.

"What do you mean 'a real princess'?" she scoffed. "You city people are all the same. No manners,"

"Hey lady, we just saved your life so you'd better cool it," Pack fought back.

The girl turned her chin toward the air, crossed her arms and turned her back toward them. "Well I do appreciate you saving me but I'm sure my father's guards would've gotten here in time to save me anyway,"

"If your father's guards are so great, then why didn't they stop you from being kidnapped in the first place?!" Pack yelled.

"I refuse to be talked to like this!" Princess Aoi shouted. As she stormed off, Goku turned to Pack. "Pack, she has a Dragon Ball around her neck. Maybe if we're nice to her and take her back to her village then she'll give it to us,"

Goku and Pack began running toward the princess who was quickly disappearing through the forest. "Princess wait!!!"


	3. Hayun Bridge  Goku and Pack's Test

Way of the Saiya-jin

Chapter 3: Hayun Bridge – Goku and Pack's First Test

The crackle of a bright fire pierced through the night air. Goku and Pack sat together tearing cooked rabbit meat off of a stick. Now that the last of Pan's meals had floated down the river, the boys were forced to fend for themselves. Goku fell backward off of the rock he was sitting on and rubbed his stomach. A look of contentment fell upon his face and he closed his eyes. Pack finished his rabbit and tossed the stick into the long grass that surrounded them. The group had finally escaped the large forest on the outskirts of Satan City and now found themselves surrounded by desert/grasslands.

From out of the dark, a princess in tattered clothes stormed into their camp. "You're running out of toilet paper!" she shouted, waving the depleted cardboard roll at the boys. She threw it in Pack's direction. "It's not even good toilet paper!"

Pack stood up. "You're lucky you have that! Just imagine what I'd be like if we hadn't run after you!"

"I would have been fine by myself! You're not doing me any favors!" Aoi yelled.

Goku was still lying on his back and rolled his eyes. He had been listening to this for the past day and a half. He rolled over on his side and stood up. Ignoring his arguing traveling partners, he made his way over to the tent he had pitched for the night.

"And where do you think you're going?" Aoi asked.

Goku turned toward the princess who was bent toward him with her hands on her hips. "I'm going to sleep,"

"Not in there you're not," she walked past him and into the tent. There was a rustling sound before she emerged with a few blankets which she promptly threw at Goku's feet. "You two are sleeping by the fire. I'm staying in the tent,"

The boys stared in disbelief as she zipped up the tent. Goku turned to Pack with his mouth wide open. He tried to talk but words failed to form and nothing came from his mouth. He picked up the blankets and brought them over to Pack. He took two of them and placed one down next to the fire and wrapped the other around his shoulders. He leaned up against the large rock he previously sat on and stared up into the starry sky. With no light pollution for miles, Goku witnessed some of the first shooting stars he had seen in his life.

"Wow, it really is beautiful out here Pack,"

Pack was curled in a ball across the fire from him with his back toward Goku. "Can you believe her?! Taking our tent like that,"

Always the one to avoid conflicts, Goku decided to lie down on his side to try and fall asleep. The sound of crickets chirping and the fire crackling soothed the city grown Saiya-jin who was used to cars honking, trains whistling and people yelling. It was soon after he had closed his eyes that he fell fast asleep in the glow of the fire.

-

Goku, Pack and Princess Aoi continued their quest to reach the Flower Country the next day. The sun was at its high peak in the sky and the bright rays were beating down on the group. Aoi was holding a blanket over her head as she walked to give herself a little shade from the hot sun. Pack trudged slowly behind Aoi and Goku with his shoulders slumped forward and his tongue hanging from his mouth. As they walked, the light wind blew up some dirt from the hard, dry ground. The wind was a bit of a relief for the group, but even that came with its own downside with the dirt blowing around.

Goku stopped walking and untied the red bandana that was wrapped around his head. He slowly wiped the sweat from his face, as well as some of the dirt that had stained his cheeks and forehead. "It's so hot out here," he panted.

"You said it Goku," Pack sighed, setting his backpack down onto the ground. Aoi had stopped as well and was currently crouching down, still holding her blanket over her head to stay out of the sun. Goku shaded his eyes and squinted to get a better view of his surroundings. The air around him rippled with heat as he searched for any landmarks to pinpoint their location. At first he thought it was a mirage but sure enough, in the distance he saw a bridge.

"You guys!" Goku shouted. "I see a bridge!"

Aoi turned around and looked toward the horizon. "A bridge? That must by Hayun Bridge. That means we're getting closer to home!"

Goku ran up to the princess and grabbed her arm. He began to drag her as he took off toward the bridge. "Well let's go!" he said with a smile on his face. "C'mon Pack!"

Pack struggled to stand and threw his backpack onto his back as quick as he could. "Wait up Goku!"

-

The group stood before a magnificent stone bridge. Water calmly lapped up against the arched aqueduct-like base and Goku shuffled his way down to the river bank. He stuck his entire head under water to cool off and get a drink. He emerged to see through the wet hair that covered his face that Pack and Aoi had followed suit. Goku shook his head like a dog and sprayed the other two with water. On any other occasion, they would've been angry with the Saiya-jin boy but on a day so ungodly hot, they didn't seem to mind. He turned his head toward the bridge and was awestruck by its beauty. The sides were lined with a red stone walls and small bushes with red flowers growing from them. As he was studying the bridge, Pack and Aoi had climbed back up the bank and shouted for him to join him.

"Let's get a move on Goku! I'd like to reach the village across the bridge by nightfall!" Aoi yelled.

Goku turned his head around and snapped out of his daydream. He climbed the banks and caught up to Pack and Aoi who had started to cross the enormous bridge. Across the bridge was a huge arch that marked the entrance to the village.

"I've heard stories from the Flower Country that there is a monster that lives on this bridge," Aoi said, a bit frightened.

Pack looked at her as he walked and laughed. "You've got to be kidding me. There's no such thing as monsters,"

"Says you!" Aoi shot back. "You're from the city!"

"What's that supposed to mean!" Pack screamed, shaking putting a fist up to her chin.

Goku turned around and put his hand on Pack's shoulder. "Calm down Pack,"

Pack pushed Goku's chest, knocking him backward and over a raised stone that caused him to fall on his back. "Stay out of this Goku!"

Goku gave Pack an angry look and rubbed the back of his head. Over the sound of Pack and Aoi's fighting, a loud crash boomed from behind them. Goku, still sitting, looked up and saw two piercing red eyes staring back at him. Goku gave a frightened shout and scrambled back to Pack and Aoi who had ended their fight and were now clinging to each other for dear life. Goku's teeth chattered as the monster stood in front of them. The monster's face had bright red eyes surrounded by blackness and a silver mechanical jaw. The top of his head was a large black cone that the sun reflected off of. The solid black body looked like the Saiya-jin armor of old and had a rope tied around it with what seemed like a large pole on its back. The arms and legs were thin silver poles with large black armor starting at the wrist and large grey hands.

"Waaaa! What is that?!" Pack said shakily.

"It's the m-monster," Aoi replied.

"I think it's a robot guys," Goku said, just as afraid as the other two.

"How does that make this any better Goku?!" Aoi yelled.

The robot removed the pole from its back and with the quickness of a cheetah, slammed it on top of Goku's head. "Owww!" he cried, grabbing the top of his head. With tears in his eyes, he addressed the robot. "Whoa!!! What the hell are you?"

The robot turned sideways, bent down and raised his free hand above his head. His hand looked like a claw, waiting to strike and his other hand securely held the pole.

"So you're the monster!" Goku said, clearly irritated. "I'm pissed!"

Goku fell into a fighting stance, but the tense mood was lightened quickly as Aoi cried out "I pissed my pants!" from behind them. Pack instantly jumped back from her and began to wipe himself down as if he was making sure he didn't have any piss on him. Ignoring all of this, the robot shot the pole into Goku's stomach, knocking him to his knees,"

"That hurt you bastard!"

The robot tried to hit Goku again, but he quickly jumped out of the way. He rolled on the ground and flipped back up to his feet. He ran at his opponent, jumped and back flipped over him. He threw a punch at him but it was blocked by the robot's heavy armor. The robot returned with a punch of his own which caused Goku to flatten himself out on the ground to avoid it.

"Why won't you let us pass?!" Goku asked as he dodged punches and strikes from the robot's pole. He barely dodged a hit from the pole and knocked himself off balance. The robot took this opportunity to strike. He kicked Goku hard in the ribs, and sent him flying off of the bridge and into the water below.

"Goku!" Pack and Aoi cried out in unison.

As the water calmed down from Goku's splash, he was nowhere to be seen. Aoi's hands were covering her mouth. "I think I pissed myself again…" Pack rolled his eyes and focused his attention on the mechanical beast. The robot slowly turned toward Pack and Aoi and pointed his pole at them. Pack jumped in front of Aoi and raised his fist. "Come and get me!"

From the side of the bridge, a scream rang out from the water. Water swirled and shot up in the air. To everyone's surprise, Goku was standing on the river bed with a white aura of energy surrounding him. He bent down and shot up toward the bridge. He landed on the red stone wall and stared angrily at the robot.

"I'm telling you to stop for your own good!"

The robot disregarded Goku's warning and slammed his fists down at Goku. He skillfully shot away from the blow and the robot shattered the wall with his attack. Goku landed behind him and immediately shot back toward him with such speed that Pack could barely see him. Goku landed a mighty kick into the robot's back and it sent his enemy sailing into the sky and over the horizon. Immediately after, Goku fell on his back and passed out. Pack and Aoi dashed over to him and tried to wake him up.

"Oh Goku!" Aoi sobbed with tears forming in her eyes.

Pack placed his hands under Goku's armpits and began to drag him toward the village. "Grab his legs Aoi! We have to get him to the village!" Aoi obliged his request without an argument and grabbed his feet. The two carried Goku the length of the bridge and set him down under the arch at the end of the bridge. Four men carrying spears and dressed in green and white traditional Chinese outfits met Pack and Aoi at the arch.

"Intruders!" they shouted.

Pack and Aoi cowered in fear and again clung tightly to each other as the four men closed in. Two of the men grabbed Pack and Aoi while a third slung an unconscious Goku over his shoulder. Pack and Aoi, no matter how much they thrashed about, were drug screaming into the village.


	4. Escape from Hayun Goku!

Way of the Saiya-jin

Chapter 4: Escape from Hayun Goku! The Mission Depends on It!

Time had passed at a snail's crawl for Pack and Aoi. The two found themselves trapped in a dark stone room furnished with a few blankets; and nothing more. Guards constantly paced back and forth through the prison corridor as they kept watch on their recently captured prisoners. The third member of their team was still unconscious from exhaustion. Although he trained in his spare time, Goku still wasn't used to such an extreme exertion of energy. In his fight with Vegeta Jr. during the most recent Tenkaichi Budokai, he became a Super Saiya-jin for the second time in his life. After the match, he passed out for two days. Pan preached ki control to the boy but he preferred to train his body rather than his mind. He never believed he'd actually need to use it.

"How long is he going to be like that?" Aoi asked. She stared across the stone room at the fallen Saiya-jin with a frightened look across her face. Pack couldn't tell if it was from them being in a prison cell or knowing that they didn't stand a chance without Goku. Of course he wasn't going to tell her that.

"I don't know. I've only seen him like this one other time," he said. He walked over to Aoi and took a seat next to her. "He fought in the finals of the Junior Division in the last Tenkaichi Budokai against an impressive fighter named Vegeta. He did some weird thing where he made his hair turn blonde and the two shot across the ring like mad men. I could barely even see them they were moving so fast. He ended up losing the match when he passed out and Vegeta punched him out of the ring. If I remember right, he was out for two whole days,"

"Two days?! Are you kidding me?!" Aoi shrieked. Pack clamped a hand over her mouth to quiet her down and brought a finger up to his own mouth. Aoi calmed down and Pack removed his hand. "What are we going to do?"

"It will be fine Aoi. I'll do as much as I can if something happens," Pack said in a reassuring tone.

A prison guard with a silver chainmail suit draped over him and a sword at his side walked up to the cell. Pack and Aoi turned their heads toward him and sat motionless as the guard opened up the door of metal bars. The guard was carrying three brown, wooden bowls of steaming white rice for what the two believed was their dinner. The guard set the bowls on the ground and without a word, exited the cell and locked it again. Pack tentatively made his way over to the food as if it is was something he'd never seen before. He carefully picked up two of the bowls and brought them over to the corner area that he and Aoi sat. He leaned up against the wall and began to eat the rice with the two chopsticks that were provided. Aoi on the other hand was a little less eager to dig into her food.

"How do we know this hasn't been poisoned?" she asked. She carefully poked at her food like she was thinking something would pop out at her. Pack stuck his chopsticks into his rice and set his bowl down.

"I don't think they're looking to poison us Aoi. I'm sure that if they went through all of this trouble to keep us in a prison cell. They could have killed us right when we crossed the bridge. They have other plans Aoi,"

The princess let out a little cry as she brought her fingertips up to her mouth in fear. "L-like what?" she cried. Pack shrugged and resumed his meal; leaving her in suspense.

"Who knows what goes on out here? Maybe they're making us food to fatten us up so they can eat us," he said jokingly to lighten the mood. Aoi didn't find this funny in the least bit. She found this possibility quite terrifying. Tears began to form in her eyes and she drew her legs close to her body. She rested her head on her knees and began to cry. Pack immediately noticed her sobs and set his bowl back down to comfort her. He lightly placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "I can't believe this," she said over and over to herself.

A loud yawn brought Pack and Aoi's attention to the other side of the small room. To their surprise, Goku was sitting up and stretching his arms over his head. He partially opened his eyes and was bit confused with his surroundings at first. When he fully got his bearings, he frantically thrashed his head from side to side in terror.

"Where the hell am I?" he shouted. He stood up and ran over to the metal bars. He poked his head out and stared down each direction of the hallway. "I'm in prison?! How did I get here?!"

"Goku! You're awake!" Aoi exclaimed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Goku turned and saw his two friends looking at him. "Hey guys…where are we?" he asked. He eyed the last remaining bowl of rice and slowly picked it up. He walked over to Pack and Aoi as he placed small bits of rice in his mouth.

"After you beat up that robot monster, you passed out and we carried you to the end of the bridge. We wanted to get you into the village for help but we were captured by three warriors and thrown in here," Aoi explained. Now that Goku was eating his food, and Pack was nearly done, she finally decided the food was ok to consume and began to eat as well. Goku took a seat in front of her and quickly finished his meal in typical Saiya-jin fashion. He placed the empty bowl on the ground and sighed.

"What are we going to do guys?"

Pack and Aoi looked at each other nervously before Pack spoke. "We kind of figured you'd have an idea,"

Goku opened his mouth but words didn't come out for a few seconds before he could digest this. "You guys were counting on me to come up with an idea?! Why me?!"

"You beat that robot and you saved Aoi. You've got to have some ideas on how to get us out of here,"

Goku sat stoically across from his friends. He had no clue of what he was supposed to do. He saved Aoi because she was in trouble. It was the right thing to do in his mind. He just jumped into the fray. He didn't have a plan. The robot on Hayun Bridge attacked them. He had to fight him to get across the bridge. Again, he had no plan. Fate would have it that his Saiya-jin instincts would kick in to defeat the monster. This was complicated for the young boy. Two people trusted him with their lives. He couldn't sit back and be the same scared child he'd been all his life. He thought of the stories his grandmother had told him about his great-great grandpa Goku. He was entrusted with the lives of the entire planet. Surely he could save his friends. His great-great grandfather's words rung in his head again.

_You have to be brave. You are my grandson after all._

Goku looked up into Pack and Aoi's eyes and saw them patiently waiting for an answer from the newly appointed hero. He gave them a half-smile and ran his hand through his messy black hair.

"Ok…here goes…"

-

"Guards!" Aoi shouted at the top of her lungs. She slammed the empty wooden bowl that previously contained her rice across the prison bars repeatedly. Two guards dashed down the prison corridor and stopped in front of their prison cell.

"Quite the hell down! What's the problem?" a guard asked.

"I can't stand this anymore! I can't believe you place both boys and girls in the same cells! Don't you realize what could happen to me?" she yelled. She extended a finger in Pack's direction as she continued her charade. "I think he tried to touch me while I was sleeping,"

The guards turned their attention to Pack who sat against the prison wall. "He did?!" one of the guards asked angrily. To everyone's surprise, the guards began to enter the cell to discipline Pack as Goku had hoped. As one of the guards was about to strike Pack, he quickly rolled away from a kick that was meant for his head. Goku ran from across the room and kicked one of the chainmail covered guards into the stone prison wall. The guard bounced off of the wall and fell onto his back, holding his now bleeding nose. Pack engaged the other guard in combat and swept his legs out from under him. He immediately jumped on top of him and landed a right hand across the guard's jaw. Aoi stood across the room and watched in amazement as the two boys quickly took care of the heavily armored guards. After knocking one guard unconscious, Goku ran over to the other side of the cell and grabbed a large metal ring full of keys. He picked them up and met Aoi just outside of the prison door.

"C'mon Pack! Let's go!" Goku shouted.

Pack was busy stealing a sword from one of the guards for their escape attempt. He quickly unclasped the belt that carried it from around the guard's waist and clasped it around his own. Without saying a word, he joined his friends and began running down the corridor. As they reached a corner, Goku slowed down and placed his arm out like a gate to stop the rest from going past him. He crept up to the wall and slowly looked around the corner. He saw three guards dressed in the same chainmail as the two they had knocked out. Pack pulled his new sword out of it's sheathe and nodded to Goku.

"Stay back here for a second Aoi. You don't need to get hurt," Goku instructed.

Aoi nodded her head in agreement and watched the two boys quietly sneak around the corner. Goku decided to quicken the process and took a running start. He jumped into the air and slammed his foot into the side of the nearest guard's head. The kick caused the guard to fall into the other two who stood next to him. Pack followed him; slashing the air wildly with his sword. The guards quickly composed themselves and drew their swords.

"We have an escape attempt!" one of them shouted.

Goku connected a punch with the side of a guard's head and sent him flying into the wall. The guard's head bounced off the wall and he fell to the ground like a ragdoll. Pack on the other hand was struggling mightily with the two guards that were attacking him. He held each end of his sword with one of his hands as he blocked a blow from one of the guard's sword. A second guard was preparing a strike aimed at Pack's unguarded legs. Goku ran as fast as he could to aid his friend. As the guard swung his sword at Pack's legs, Goku rammed into the guard with his left shoulder; knocking him off balance. The guard fell to the ground, but as he fell, he swiped at Pack's left leg and gave it a small cut. Pack looked down at his leg and saw blood quickly staining his pants. The guard he was fighting took this opportunity to knee Pack in the stomach. Pack instantly let go of his sword and grabbed his stomach. Goku spun around and saw the guard with his sword held high over his head. Goku stretched a hand toward the guard and screamed.

"Pack! No!"

The room lit up with a bright bluish light as a ball of energy left Goku's outstretched palm. The beam slammed into the guard's chest and knocked him back into the wall. The guard looked down at a hole that was made in his armor and stared wide eyed at Goku. For that matter, everyone was staring at Goku. Nobody had a clue of what had just happened. The guard got up shakily and ran away down the corridor. Goku retracted his hand and turned his palm toward his face.

_Did I just use my ki like grandma Pan had always wanted me to learn how?_

Pack, still on the ground, stared at Goku with a frightened look on his face. "W-what did you just do?" he asked. Goku turned to his friend, but was silent for a moment. He himself still wasn't too sure.

"I think I just fire a ki blast,"

"A ki blast?! What's a ki blast?!" Pack questioned frantically.

While Goku explained what he had just done, a guard grabbed Aoi from behind and began carrying her back down from where they had come from. She thrashed her arms and legs, hoping to get free of the guards grip, but all her efforts were futile.

"Goku! Pack!"

They instantly began running down the hallway after her, gaining ground with every step. The guard passed through a doorframe at the end of the hall and made a right turn. The boys kept close, following him through the door and were met by a flight of stairs. They ran down a few steps and jumped the rest of the way down to save time. The stair cases twirled around as they made their way down into the basement of the prison. Goku and Pack reached the bottom of the final flight of stairs and entered an enormous stone room that was illuminated by a dim red light. They saw that the guard was now standing on a platform across the room from where they stood. Goku began walking toward the platform with a look of pure anger in his eyes. The guard still had Aoi slung over his shoulder but now had a villainous smirk plastered on his face. Goku stopped walking halfway to the platform and began to speak.

"I'll give you a chance to let her go without getting hurt. I will fight you if I have to. You've already seen what I did to your friends,"

The guard gave a laugh. "You're quite the little fighter. I will say that I'm impressed with your skills. It's unfortunate no one will ever see them again," he said. He placed his free hand over a large red button and pressed it into the stone. The ground began to quake and dirt fell from the ceiling. The wall across from them rumbled loudly as it slowly rose from the ground. Goku clenched his fists and took a deep breath as he was unsure of what was happening.

The wall stopped with a booming crunch. Out of the darkness stepped a man at least seven feet in height. He wore nothing but a pair of frayed pants that only went down to the top of his calves. His body was tan and covered with scars from previous battles. His huge muscles bulled as he flexed as if he hadn't moved in years. His face was expressionless and his eyes were hidden by his wild green hair and a pair of sunglasses. The guard laughed maniacally.

"I've been waiting to see Karasu fight again for years!"

Goku clenched his teeth together as he watched the giant crack his neck and knuckles as he prepared for the inevitable fight. Pack walked up behind Goku and placed his right hand on Goku's shoulder.

"I've got your back Goku," he said in a serious tone.

Goku didn't say a word to him. He kept his eyes focused on the silent giant as he slowly made his way toward him. Sweat slid down Goku's cheek and dripped down onto the floor. The Saiya-jin prepared himself by sliding down into his fighting stance. Pack stood to the side of him now with his arms bent at ninety degree angles with fists clenched.


End file.
